Tough Road ahead for Rahul Gandhi
Legal team struggling to evolve a strategy
Rahul may lose Tughlaq Road bungalow
Tough road ahead of Congress leader & “disqualified” Lok Sabha MP Rahul Gandhi even if he manages to get his conviction stayed. Rahul Gandhi's legal team composed of Abhishek Manu Sanghvi and others is busy chalking out the next course of action. The dilemma is whether to knock at the doors of the Supreme Court directly or appeal before the Surat's Session Judge court for remedy. In the event of the Surat Session Judge not giving relief, the legal team may appeal before the Gujarat High court and finally before the SC.
Rahul Gandhi's problems will multiply in the absence of instant relief from superior courts as he is facing more than half a dozen cases in Patna, Guwahati, Mumbai, Jharkhand, Lucknow and Delhi. These cases have been going on since 2015 and all of them are being fast-tracked signaling that the double engine governments in many states are keen to bring these cases to a close in 2023 itself.
In addition, the Urban Development & Housing Ministry may initiate the eviction proceedings against Rahul Gandhi from his 8 Tughlak Lane bungalow. There are prospects that he may be asked to vacate the bungalow within 15 days.
The Election Commission is also gearing up to hold the bye-election from Wayanad Lok Sabha seat. The tenure of the current Lok Sabha is June, 2024 and the EC is bound to hold the poll if the time gap is more than a year.
The third problem is that even if he gets relief from a superior court, the restoration of his Lok Sabha seat is not automatic. The Lok Sabha secretariat may take its own time to study the ruling and decide its course.
